Kyle Adrian D.

Martinez

GE15 (7451)

LET’S CHECK!

Activity No. 5. Now that you have known the most essential terms in the study of environmental
science. Let us try to check your understanding of these terms. In the space provided, write the
terms, being asked in the following statements:

Health 1. It is the state of complete physical, mental, and social well- being, and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.

Disability 2. It refers to the impairment of an individual’s well-being and ability to function often
due to poor adjustments between the individual and the environment.

Climate change 3. It refers to the unwanted change in the environment caused by the introduction
of harmful materials or the production of harmful conditions.

Carcinogens 4. It is a toxin that increases the risks of cancer.

Allergens 5. It refers to substances that activate the immune systems.

Endocrine disruptors 6. It refers to chemicals that disrupt normal hormone functions.

Mutagens 7. It is an agent which damage or alter genetic materials in cells.

Biomagnification 8. It occurs when toxic burden of many organisms at a lower trophic level is
accumulated and concentrated by a predator in a higher trophic level.

Bacillus thuringiensis 9. It is considered a natural bacterium and one of the chief pest control
agents allowed in organic farming.

Tolerance 10. It is the ability to resist or withstand stress from exposure to a pollutant or harmful
condition.
LET’S ANALYZE

Activity No. 5. Getting acquainted with the essential terms in studying environmental health and
toxicology will not be sufficient. What matters is your environment, whether naturally occurring
or human-induced. It is also important to determine the route and persistence of these pollutants
to develop measures and mechanisms to reduce the risk of potential food contamination and other
agricultural resources. Now, I will require you to explain your answers thoroughly.

1. What is biomagnification? Why is it essential in toxicology?

- Biomagnification refers to the process of raising the concentration of poisons in organisms at

each subsequent trophic level. It is important in toxicology since it offers information on the
number of contaminants in a given region and can lead to population and ecological problems.
This information helps us comprehend the negative impacts of chemicals, toxins, and contaminants
on living creatures.

2. Differentiate acute effects from chronic effects.

-A single toxin dose generates acute toxicity, whereas small doses of toxins delivered to an
organism over time cause chronic toxicity. Acute toxicity is defined by an instantaneous loss of
nitrification and deflocculation, whereas chronic toxicity is defined by detrimental health effects
from recurrent, generally lower-level exposures.

3. Identify and discuss comprehensively the components of risk management.

-RiskIdentification
- is the practice of identifying potential risks and categorizing actual risks. The risks that the
company faces. The risk universe is a term that refers to all potential and existing risks. It is critical
to identify all potential risks methodically because it reduces the possibility of overlooking
potential sources of risk.
- Risk Analysis

- Following the identification of risks, the next step is to assess their likelihood and
potential impact. How exposed is the company to a particular risk? What is the potential cost of
turning a risk into a reality? Risks are classified as "severe, moderate, or minor" or "high, medium,
or low" in terms of their potential for disruption.

-Response Planning

-The question of what we will do about it is addressed in response planning. For example,
if you discovered that the company is vulnerable to phishing attacks because its employees are
unaware of email security best practices during identification and analysis, your action plan could
include security awareness training.
-Risk Mitigation

-is the carrying out of your reaction strategy. It is the action taken by your organization and
its employees to reduce exposure. Continuing on from our previous example, an implementation
may include security awareness training, the development of onboarding materials to educate staff,
and so on. The company must design controls to limit risk to acceptable levels. These controls
must be tested to ensure that they are properly constructed and function.

-Risk Monitoring

-Hazards do not remain constant; they change over time. The potential impact and
likelihood of occurrence change, and what was once considered a minor risk can become a
significant threat to the organization and its revenue. Risk monitoring is the practice of "keeping
an eye" on a situation by conducting regular risk assessments.

4. How are toxic elements being deposited in the environment? Can these toxic elements/
chemicals contaminate the food chain?

- Potentially hazardous materials in sediments originate primarily from two sources: natural causes
such as rock weathering and anthropogenic causes such as mining and agriculture. The majority
of contaminants enter the environment via industrial and commercial operations, oil and chemical
spills, and non-point sources such as highways, parking lots, storm drains, wastewater treatment
plants, and sewage systems. Chemical pollutants can enter the food chain via a variety of pathways.
Contamination during primary production can occur due to a variety of environmental factors,
including pollution from manufacturing waste.

IN A NUTSHELL

Activity No. 5. Studying the environment and its components requires a deeper understanding of
the core areas of environmental science. This involves understanding the influence of human
dimensions as well as the natural phenomena that resulted in different alterations of the natural
ecosystems, which eventually creates threats and danger both the biological, physical, and
chemical components of an ecosystem. Also, this includes the analysis and understanding of how
humanmade and natural components react with one another. Based on the definitions and the
essential elements in the study of environmental and the learning exercises that you have done,
please feel free to indicate your arguments or lessons learned below.

1. Different types of elements, whether naturally present or human-induced, have implications for
biological safety as these elements tend to persist in the environment due to its non-biodegradable
nature. Since it continues, it poses threats to human health as well as security and food safety.

2. The disease is considered an environmental response or an imbalance within an ecosystem. This

signifies that the carrying capacity of the environment has been reached which makes a particular
ecosystem unable to function very well that resulted in the or reduce the ability to assimilate
pollutants and recover.

YOUR TURN

3. Interactions occur as a result of antagonistic reactions in which some substances interfere with
or accelerate the breakdown of other components.

4. Environmental health must be a component of any comprehensive public health system. To

protect people and provide healthier communities, the field works to improve policies and
programs that limit chemical and other environmental exposures in air, water, soil, and food.
5. Environmental health is a subset of public health that focuses on people's interactions with their
surroundings, promotes human health and well-being, and fosters healthy and safe communities.
Environmental health must be a component of any comprehensive public health system.

6. In the environment, there are numerous sources of harmful and hazardous chemicals, as well as
numerous elements associated with each substance itself. The sources of the chemical release are
toxic and hazardous chemicals in the environment. These compounds are intended for both the
biotic and abiotic communities. The dose (amount), mode of entry, time of exposure, and organism
sensitivity all play important roles in determining toxicity.

7. Agriculture is the science and practice of growing plants and other crops, as well as animal
husbandry, for food, other human needs, or financial gain. When managed sustainably, they can
help preserve and restore vital habitats, protect watersheds, and improve soil health and water
quality. When done carelessly, however, it poses the greatest threat to species and ecosystems.

8. Synergism is an important concept that considers pollution at the same time. The interaction of
multiple materials produces a total effect that is greater than the sum of the influence of individual
elements.

9. There are numerous ways for harmful substances to enter our bodies, just as there are numerous
toxins in our environment. Toxins in the air are more likely than toxins from other sources to cause
illness. Our lungs are designed to exchange gases efficiently while also absorbing poisons. The
difficulty in evaluating toxicity is that sensitivity varies greatly between species.

10. Overall, we need to study environmental health because it works to advance policies and
programs to reduce chemical and other environmental exposures in air, water, soil, and food in
order to protect people and provide healthier environments in communities.